Tindall admits he was out of control

Former England captain Mike Tindall admits "it wasn't ideal for me to end up as hammered as I was" during last year's World Cup.

The 33-year-old centre said in a statement in November he felt he had been made a "scapegoat" for England's poor showing in New Zealand after a drunken night out in Queenstown.

The Gloucester star has since issued an apology for his behaviour.

Tindall revealed he had stayed away from talking about what happened because "people have already made up their minds".

He did, however, feel this was the right time to speak out about the New Zealand debacle.

"Obviously it wasn't ideal for me to end up as hammered as I was. That's a given," said Tindall.

"It's just that the reaction to my mistake turned into a rollercoaster that I couldn't control. But the people close to me, those I love, know what actually happened, and it just wasn't some enormous crisis."

Tindall was initially excluded from England's elite player squad and fined £25,000 by a Rugby Football Union panel.

The veteran back was later reinstated and had the fine reduced to £15,000 on appeal, but has not featured for England since.

Despite the fallout, Tindall has not given up hope of representing his country again.

"I'm the sort of person who'd never say never to anything and certainly not to England. It's one of the proudest moments of your life when you represent your country and if I am ever asked to play again, I will," he added.